REGINA -- On Thursday, Z99 morning show hosts CC and Lorie hosted their final radiothon before they both retire.
For more than 32 years, the duo has hosted the morning show. They’ve also hosted every radiothon since it started 34 years ago.
“It’s probably the best thing that I’ve ever done in radio. It’s the thing that makes me the proudest and makes me just really glad I live in Regina,” CC said.
The radiothon has raised more than $10 million for the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in the Regina General Hospital. The money raised goes towards buying the newest equipment and technology to help save the lives of babies.
The radio station and the NICU have a long partnership as Rawlco Radio, the owners of Z99, funded the Rawlco Centre for mother-baby care.
Hosting their last radiothon is bittersweet for them both.
“There’s some pride obviously that we were fortunate enough to be involved in such a great cause,” Lorie said. “It’s mixed emotions over the whole thing, but it’s kind of a nice feeling as well, passing the baton on to the next crew that’s going to be taking over.”
CC and Lorie both credit their listeners for the fundraising.
“To do this for 34 years and never have a problem, we’ve never worried that we’re not going to reach our goal,” CC said. “We just know that if we ask the community to get involved and help out, they’re here.”
Thursday’s radiothon looked different than most. CC hosted from the Z99 studio while Lorie hosted from home.
JOINT RETIREMENT
In the near future, both CC and Lorie will be retiring. The date hasn’t been announced yet, but it will be this spring.
“CC and I made a pact years ago that when one of us decided to make the call to retire, the other one would join,” Lorie said. “We always wanted and hoped that we’d be able to go out as a team instead of individually, because we’ve been working together for more than 30 years and we consider ourselves a team package.”
Lorie said she has been dealing with some personal health issues, so decided it was time to put more focus on herself and her health.
CC said he’s now got five grandkids, so he is ready to spend more time with his family.
“I’m getting tired of being tired. I’m not a young man. Getting up at 4 a.m. is taking its toll so I want to enjoy my life too, just like Lorie,” he said. “We’ve decided it’s time to start taking care of ourselves and time to move on and leave these great memories.”
Both hosts credit their genuine friendship for their longevity and success.
“Some morning shows put people together and they kind of hope a chemistry forms, but Lorie and I formed a chemistry early and that chemistry turned into a friendship,” CC said. “The real us was what people heard and they liked it.”
CC and Lorie said they will miss the listeners, their colleagues and radiothons when they go.
“Next year when I’m listening, I’ll be going, ‘I wish I was there,’” CC said. “It’s just such an emotional high.”
The Z99 radiothon will continue in the years ahead with new hosts. The 34th Z99 Radiothon raised $416,938.
